Naomi Polani wins the Israel Prize/Tsiloo: Ministry of Information
Following the death of director, choreographer and Israel Prize bride Naomi Polani today at the age of 96, actress Shush Poliakov, widow of Israel (Polly) Poliakov, member of the Pale Tracker, who was a member of the Rooster Band led by Polani, was interviewed today on News 12. At the end of her interview by Ofer Hadad, alongside Liron Zeid, Hadad turned to them and said: "Thank you both very much." Polyakov, who probably thought she was no longer on the air, took off her headphones and said: "Is that all? Kussoomo", to the surprise of Hadad who smiled and said: "We apologize". Watch (below).
Gidi Gov, Polani's relative, paid tribute to her in a conversation with Walla! Tarbut: "It's a big pain. As she defined it, 'I'm already attracted to 97 so we should see each other.' And what do you sing in Hebrew. The music in the 50s and 60s would not have been the same. It was wonderful. The movement of Noa says 'Eshkol!' Cluster, right. Muni Fe reminds me of everything.
"I made with her the record 'Songs of Youth Movements' with Eric Lavi, Ilana Rubina, Rivka Zohar and Hanan Yuval, produced by her good friend Dalia Gutman. Each rehearsal was four hours, of which three hours were just talking, chatting and laughing. She would make up names for people .She was funny, full of humor, very smart and sharp-minded. She was never afraid to talk about what she wanted."
"Besides, she was family," adds Gov. "She was my father's cousin. My father died when I was seven years old. I know from the stories that they loved each other very much. We had the chance to visit her in recent years, and even with her oxygen device she was funny, wonderful, smart and clear. Very special. An incredibly fundamental part of our musical culture."
Shaika Levy paid tribute to Polani in a conversation with Walla! Culture: "I started my career in the army with Naomi, when I was in the Gdansk troupe and she was a choreographer. After that in the roosters of course. Later on I went to see all kinds of her work, whether it was rehearsals in the Nahal band or the Shirion band. I followed her. We really, really connected. She really caught my attention. I chased her everywhere. I was curious and she caught my heart."
"Although you cannot live forever, there is no doubt that this is a great loss, because she is the mother of all culture in this country. She simply educated entire generations of artists, singers and actors, who today are great, well-known and successful. Naomi Polani is a whole world. For an artist, there was nothing Better than working with Naomi Polani. There was no school like Naomi Polani: singing, acting, understanding what you say. She taught you to be an artist. She gave a lot to our creativity And sticking to the goal, it's a shame that such a woman won't give more."